SCHNEIDER CONTRACTING CORP
About us
Schneider Contracting Corporation has provided decorative concrete construction and related services in the DC metro area since 1993. We specialize in colored, textured, stamped, stenciled and scored concrete and exposed aggregates for driveways, patios, pool decks, walkways, and other exterior applications. We have over 20 years experience in working with these applications and are members of the American Society of Concrete Contractors and the Decorative Concrete Council. We serve Northern Virginia, Washington, DC, and Maryland (within an approx. 45 minute radius of the City of Alexandria).
Business highlights
Services we offer
& OTHER CUSTOM FINISHES; DRIVEWAYS, & STENCILED CONCRETE & EXPOSED AGGREGATES, BUDGETS; CONSTRUCTION– FEASIBILITY, BUILDING ENTRANCES; CONSULTING- DESIGN– MIX DESIGNS, COLORED, COLORS, CONSTRUCTION, CONTRACT REVIEW; TROUBLESHOOTING– CONSTRUCTION & MAINTENANCE ISSUES; TRAINING– ON-SITE ASSISTANCE & TRAINING FOR CONCRETE CREWS. CONCRETE STAMP RENTALS, LAYOUTS, MICRO EXPOSURES (SAND BLAST FINISH), PATIOS, PATTERNS, POOL DECKS, SCHEDULING, STAMPED, TEXTURED, WALKWAYS
Amenities
Free Estimates
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 92% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 8% | ||
| 0% |
Work completed 8/13/2012.
Summary: I was initially happy with the delivered product and would have graded it a solid ?B?. Unfortunately, extensive fading after 3 years leaves me with a $13,400 job that now looks unprofessional. My firm belief is that Todd got a bad batch of concrete and is unwilling or unable to correct the problem. His efforts to remedy the situation left the finish looking worse- worn, blotchy, and very dark gray\brown. Granted, my one year warranty has expired but there is no way I could have foreseen such a latent defect until I undertook resealing at year three. See attached picture. The color should be pewter.
From the Schneider Contracting FAQ:
http://www.schneidercontracting.com/faqs/index.html
I?ve heard that the colors just fade out over time. Is this true?
"Although you can lose some surface color in extreme wearing situations, all of the iron oxide pigments used in these processes are UV resistant and should not fade. Additionally, the color hardeners that are used to color the surface create a finished surface that is substantially harder than normal concrete and will not wear as quickly. Depending on the coloring techniques used, the concrete color may change slightly over the concrete curing period but, if maintained properly, those colors are there to stay. When the decorative project is complete, it has been treated with a sealer that protects the surface from staining and also brings out the richer colors of the surface. If you notice that the colors are fading, it?s just an indication that the sealer is wearing and the light is no longer reflecting the colors as it once did. A new seal coat, if desired, will bring back the original rich colors."
Detail:
Alerted Todd via email on 7/23/2015 of my failed resealing attempt. I should have been able to easily reseal the stamped concrete and regain the original luster. His reply- "Goodness, that's not a good look! Maybe I should drive by and check it out. Don't worry that you've done something terribly wrong, though. It can be fixed. Was the sealer clear (no rust or anything in the can)?"
Todd came out the week of the 7/26 and reproduced my failure at resealing. He stated that he had never seen this problem before and would have to refer back to his documentation.
I emailed Todd on 8/7 asking- "What did you discover after review of your documentation?" No reply.
I emailed Todd on 8/19 with a high importance flag and asked that he call me. He did. His documentation revealed nothing he cared to reveal to me.
Todd stopped by with his foreman and did additional tests with colorants and\or sealers in late August or early September. I have no accurate record of these events as visits were unannounced and testing was not explained to me.
I emailed Todd on 9/24 and alerted him that 60 days had passed. His reply- "I didn't realize you were marking the days. I've not been in the area since the last sample area we did was sealed (to see how it looked after drying). I would hope to see how it looks within a few days. Is there a big hurry here?"
Called Todd on 10/15 after he had not stopped by "in a few days". He was clearly upset that I was not sufficiently patient. I explained that I expected a full resolution for what I considered product failure. Todd advised me that my one year warranty had expired and suggested the driveway looked like I had "power washed it a couple of hundred times". For the record, I have never power washed the driveway nor have I applied ice melt or subjected it to fertilizer overspray. Todd said he was "willing to help" and we agreed that remediation would be completed before the holidays.
10/20 Crew arrived unannounced. Todd's crew pressure washed the step and driveway. Unfortunately, after pressure washing, many areas of the stamped concrete took on a rough\pitted finish and the driveway "broom\brushed finish" was scoured away leaving the whole project looking like it had seen many years of wear and tear.
10/21 Crew member said team would return on 11/21 but no show.
10/22 Crew arrived unannounced. Increte color hardener was applied and sealed. All of the stamped areas are now a much darker brown\gray and have lost much, if not all, of the multi-hued antique effect. Brush strokes in the final product further distract from what little attractiveness remains in the stamped driveway border.
10/24 I emailed Todd and expressed my dissatisfaction.
10/29 Todd emailed and said a crew would be out tomorrow to "try a different method". I asked- "What is the plan for tomorrow so I know what to expect?" and received no answer.
10/30 The crew showed up and planned on power washing the areas recolored last week and would recolor them again with a lighter gray. I declined the offer. The aggressive power washing on 10/20 resulted in a material degradation of the surface finish and doing it again would only make matters worse.
I encourage anyone considering using Schneider Contracting to inspect my disappointing project at 1910 Ingram Pl. in Alexandria.
"While I truly regret that [Member Name Removed] is unhappy with the state of his project, I think it’s important to point out a few things. When he contacted me about his issue more than two years after the warranty period had expired, I happily agreed to come out and see what the problem might be and if I could help with any remedy (at no cost). On my first visit, I agreed with [Member Name Removed] that the sand-colored appearance of random areas of the stamped concrete border was unusual – something I had not encountered in my more than 20 years of doing this work. [Member Name Removed] was incredulous that I didn’t have a ready answer for the problem, and my lack of an immediate answer seemed to sow a seed of distrust with him. I gathered from this and his BBB complaint that he suspected I knew the answer to be defective material and/or workmanship, but was withholding information to protect myself. This distrust seemed to grow throughout our dealings, and is what ultimately brought my efforts to remedy his problem to a halt. I volunteered to research the project logs to review exactly what processes we had used and to see if there was anything unusual or revelatory during the original installation, but found nothing. I then proposed that we do some experimental samples on the stained areas to find a remedy, and I visited the site six times over the next several weeks working on a variety of approaches. My foreman and I settled on a method and scheduled the crew in to try it ([Member Name Removed] was aware that they were coming - he was emailed and responded "Great"). I dispute[Member Name Removed]'s claim that the power washing we did to prepare for the treatment caused a deterioration in the concrete’s appearance. Power washing is a routine part of the cleaning we do to any concrete before staining and/or sealing, and my crew is very skilled at doing it. But I do agree that the results of this first effort to remedy the color problem were not exactly what we expected and did not yield a satisfactory result. [Member Name Removed]’s assessment was more strongly worded - “ghastly and amateurish”. So, we scheduled the crew in again to remove what had been done and to try a slightly different method. When we arrived on site, [Member Name Removed] was adamant that what I was now proposing would likely do more harm than good, and was not interested in allowing any additional effort from us. In an attempt to address his concerns that the underlying product (concrete) was defective, I provided him all of the supplier information (Vulcan Materials) with a contact for their Quality Control division so he could have an unbiased second opinion on both the material and workmanship, but he refused to look into that. In closing, this was a cosmetic issue most likely related to exposure that I was willing to continue working on until I could get it resolved, but the client closed the door on those efforts. I considered my willingness to work with this customer at no cost well after the warranty had expired to be a sign of good faith, but enjoyed no courtesy from the client that I would need to fit this work into my existing, busy schedule. I also dispute his assertion that the crew arrived unannounced for work – he was well aware before the start of either effort. Ultimately, while I would have been happy to continue to work with the customer to try to address this issue, I found it unreasonable to remove and replace a structurally sound driveway, or to provide the requested 50% refund (through the BBB), and despite my best reasonable efforts I could not make him happy."
price was exactly as quoted. Site was left clean each night and when work was completed. Todd and staff were pleasant, respectful and professional. Todd even did extra work that he felt would look better that was not part of the contract. They basically exceeded expectations.
Last October when I decided to pave my driveway and add a parking pad, I looked at all the driveway technologies available from asphalt to laid brick. I chose stamped concrete because it has the maintenance advantage of concrete with the look of laid stone. Once I made this decison, I learned all I could about the process. It is a specialty that takes extra work and an eye for detail. I interviewed six contractors and drove all over Northern Virginia looking at work samples. Some were good; some were bad, for various reasons, but the only outstanding work was done by Schneider Construction Corporation.
Todd's work shows a craftsmanship and care that is hard to find in any construction work. He gave a quick and accurate estimate based his measurments and the design I wanted. It came in the middle of the six estimates I received. When he was hired, he showed up when he said he would.He did the work efficiently, correctly and quickly. His crew is well-trained and he oversees everything. The added bonus is that he is really smart and honest guy. I have been recommending him to everyone I know because I want to encourage his level of workmanship which seems so hard to find these days.
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